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This section will include the following plate types:

• Insert Trailer
• Trailer
• Cabin
• Mobile Home
• RV Trailer
• Camping Trailer
• Farm Trailer

Trailer plates, also known as insert trailer plates, have been issued for a long time, the earliest being a 1929 trailer plate.

In 1940, trailer plates split off into light trailer plates and insert trailer plates, in the way that truck plates were split off into light truck plates and insert truck plates. Trailer plates from the A-D weight class that are used for private purposed received light trailer plates, while all commercial trailers and trailers beyond the D weight class used insert trailer plates.

Apparently starting in 1960, "A" trailer plates were issued only to private trailers under 3,000 lbs. The registration of such trailers was optional until 1976, when A weight class trailers had to register. However, this law was repealed in 6 months.

In 1979, "A" trailer plates were renamed to "ZA" trailer plates, and "ZA" trailer plates now encompass light trailers under 3,000 lbs. and fleets of 100 or more light commercial trailers under 4,500 lbs. Private trailer plates expire yearly, while fleets of trailers expire in 6-year intervals, with the current expiration of small U-HAULs expiring in 2024.

Insert Trailer

Insert trailer plates were first issued in 1940. The ALPCA archives report that there was one insert trailer plate found from 1940, and Eric Tanner reports that insert trailer plates go back to 1941. In 1960 most plates became insert trailer plates, since light trailer plates only encompassed the lightest trailers under 3,000 lbs. while registration was optional for private trailers only.

N  94

* Plates wre part of a pile, so only the tops of the numbers were visible. Here is what I saw for each plate:
82 CA1459- C?145 and some round top character.
84 CA1949- C?14 with round top characters after 1 and 4.
88 CA1000- C?1 and 3 round top characters.
90 CA3767- C? round top character and 767.
90 DA5191- D? flat top character 1 round top character 1.
92 CA2417- C?2417
92 DA2114- D?round top character and slanted top characters (1 or 4).
Key for characters- 02389 are round top characters, 57 are flat top characters, 14 are slanted top characters.

ZA trailer plates (or "A") are only issued to trailers weighing less than 3,000 lbs. (or 4,500 lbs. for fleets of commercial trailers).Before at least 1960, A trailer plates were identical to trailer plates, and are shown in trailer plates. Around 1960, Insert Trailer plates and A trailer plates split off; Insert trailer plates followed the same cycles as Insert Truck plates, and A trailer plates followed the same cycles as truck plates.

Between 1974 and 1981 plates changed from resembling truck plates to resembling insert truck plates. Plates as part of a fleet of 100 or more commercial trailers have the option of 6 year registration cycles; otherwise, they expire each year. Little is known about cycles between 1988 and 2006. Were they always 6 year registrations, or did they sometimes have yearly registrations?

"Wisconsin Utitlity trailer" By Ross Day, from Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0(original)

Cabin plates were issued between around 1941 to 1954.

Mobile home plates were issued from 1955 to 2008. They were similar to truck plates until 1978.

Plates had an MH prefix/suffix from around the 1960s to 2008.

After 1978, Mobile Home plates were unique.

The last series of Mobile Home plates was issued between 1992 and 2008, and, like Insert license plates, they had the same 3 variations.

"Wisconsin mobile home" by Ross Day, From Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0 (original)

In 2008 graphic plates were issued, changing the caption to "RV TRAILER" and was originally issued to new registrants only. Plates were replaced by 2015.

Camping trailer plates were issued from 1978 to 1997.

Farm Trailer

Farm trailers are used for trailers used on farms. Up until at least 1974, Farm Trailer plates didn't have weight codes

Since at least 1988 (I'm guessing 1978) farm trailer plates have had weight codes.

1994 is the only year that has a S weight class confirmed, but it is a mystery plate. Why is the plate in the ST block, not the SF block? Why is the plate such a high number, when there is less than 100 of the same weight class of trailer plates? I searched the number on the DOT inquiry tool, and it came up with a run of about 5 to 10 plates. An error plate? A common but unheard of plate? Is this the block that S farm trailer plates were issued in? Your guess is as good as mine.

1 reflective error plate has been found, FF 5885. The blanks were meant for Light Truck For Hire plates but sometimes ended up being used for other bases.

Since at least 2009, the Y weight class has existed. It is unknown if the Y weight class existed before 2009.

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Created November 1, 2018. Updated December 29, 2020.